Air gun cartridge



Oct. 5, 1965 J. M. GARCIA 3,209,694

AIR GUN CARTRIDGE Filed Feb. 5, 1963 illllll'll-illlllll'fl.

INVENTOR UUAN MA RT/NEZ GARC/A ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,209,694 AIR GUN CARTRIDGE Juan Martinez Garcia, Benedicto XV 30, Pozoblanco, Cordoba, Spain Filed Feb. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 267,877 Claims priority, application Spain, Mar. 26, 1962, 275,805 1 Claim. (Cl. 102-91) The present invention relates to cartridges especially adapted for air guns, more particularly, to such a cartridge comprising a charge enclosed within a casing wherein the casing will separate from the charge after the cartridge has emerged from the muzzle end of the barrel.

The conventional shot gun shell comprises a casing enclosing metallic shot wherein the shot is propelled from the cartridge upon detonation of the cartridge. The cartridge remains in the breech of the gun and only the metallic shot is propelled through the barrel of the gun and exits from the muzzle thereof. In air guns wherein the projectile or shot is propelled through the barrel by a charge of compressed air, a problem is presented when it is desired to propel metallic shot from such an air gun. Since it is desired that only the metallic shot free of the cartridge reach the target, there is the problem of loading the metallic shot within such an air gun and then propelling the shot from the gun under a force of a charge of compressed air.

While it would be possible to propel the cartridge enclosing the metallic shot from the barrel of an air gun, it would not be desirable to have both the cartridge and metallic shot continue onto the target.

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved cartridge particularly adapted for air guns.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cartridge for an air gun wherein the cartridge is separated from the shot therein shortly after the cartridge is propelled from the muzzle of the gun.

The objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a cartridge which comprises a cylindrical casing enclosing a metallic charge therein. Both ends of the casing are closed by end disks with the end disks and casing being made of a non-metallic material which has considerably less density than the density of the metallic charge. Further, the closure disk at the rear end of the cartridge is recessed within the end of the cylindrical casing so as to form a cylindrical flange. This cylindrical flange is urged outwardly against the barrel of the gun under the force of compressed air as the cartridge is propelled through the barrel. This relationship of the cylindrical flange on the cartridge casing and the gun barrel provides a tight seal between the cartridge and the barrel and so decreases any loss of the charge of compressed air employed for propelling the cartridge from the barrel.

Because of this considerable difference between the densities of the casing and the charge, the casing will become separated from the metallic charge after the cartridge has emerged a distance of several yards'from the muzzle of the gun barrel. The shot will then continue onto the target while the casing is separated from the charge and falls to the ground.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent upon reference to the accompanying description when taken in conjunction with the following drawing, wherein FIGURE 1 is a top perspective view of the cartridge for an air gun according to the present invention; and

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the longitudinal axis of the cartridge illustrated in FIGURE 1.

Returning now to the drawings wherein like reference symbols indicate the same parts throughout the various views, a specific embodiment of this invention will be described in detail. The cartridge of the present invention comprises a cylindrical casing 1 having an external diameter equal to the caliber of the gun barrel in which the cartridge is to be used. The length of the cylindrical casing is determined by the specific use to which the cartridge is to be put. The cylindrical casing is formed of a non-metallic material such as cardboard, paper, cotton fibers, plastic, or any other material which has a density considerably less than that of a metal such as would be used for shot in a cartridge.

The rear end of the casing is closed by an end disk 2 which is recessed Within the end of the casing, as may be seen in FIGURE 2, so as to form a cylindrical flang'e 3. The cylindrical flange 3 will form a hermetic seal with the gun barrel under the action of a charge of compressed air exerted against the rear closure disk 2.

This air pressure will urge the cylindrical flange 3 outwardly into intimate contact with the surface of the gun barrel as the cartridge is propelled through the gun barrel by the air. This will decrease any possible leakage of air around the cartridge to a minimum.

The interior of the cylindrical casing 1 is filled with a metallic charge 4, which in this embodiment comprises a plurality of metallic shot pellets of various sizes.

An end disk 5 is then set into the front end of the cylindrical casing to close the casing, as may be seen in FIGURE 2, so as to retain the charge within the casing. The end disks 2 and 5 are similarly formed of a non-metallic material, such as cork, wood, paper, cardboard, plastic. The end disks may also be made of plaster or the like and may be retained in position by a. suitable adhesive or cement. By cementing the end disks to the casing a perfect closure is made with respect to the charge and the cartridge will retain its shape even under rough handling or loading of the cartridge in the gun.

After a cartridge comprising the casing and disks and charge is loaded into an air gun, the entire cartridge including the casing is propelled through the gun barrel by the sudden application of compressed air to the rear end of the casing. The entire cartridge will emerge from the muzzle of the gun barrel at a high velocity, but after the cartridge has travelled a distance of several feet, the casing and end disks will become separated from the charge. Since the charge has a considerably greater density than the casing and disks, the momentum of the charge after the cartridge has left the muzzle of the gun will be considerably greater than the momentum of the much lighter casing and end disks. Accordingly, the casing and end disks will fall from the charge while the charge will continue onto the target.

Thus it can be seen that the present invention provides a cartridge for an air gun, wherein the entire cartridge is propelled from the muzzle of a gun, but the casing becomes separated from the charge shortly after the cartridge emerges from the gun muzzle.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions and, accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A cartridge for an air gun enclosing metallic shot as a charge, said cartridge comprising a cylindrical casing of paper-like material having an outer diameter equal to the caliber of the air gun, the ends of said cylinder terminating in free end edges having said diameter, said metallic shot being disposed within said cylindrical casing, end disks inserted within and closing in like manner each end 3 4 of said cylindrical casing, and said disks being in-set from 838,511 12/06 Saunders 10242 said free end edges, thereby providing flarable flanges at 889,644 6/08 Szernerey 10242 each end, whereby the flanges at the rear provide a tight 974,369 11/10 Follett 10242 seal with the barrel of the gun under the force of corn- 1,823,160 9/31 Paul 102-42 pressed air acting on said rear end to propel the cartridge 5 1,830,913 11/ 31 Segee 10242 from the gun barrel. FOREIGN PATENTS References Cited by the Examiner 557,831 5/23 France.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 24,064 5/01 Switzerland. 33,754 11/61 Sawyer 102-91 10 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

200,876 3/78 Sawyer 10291 

